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For the Love of Science: Part 2
2k5 3 - Thursday, June 14, 2012, 7:36 PM ---------------------------------------- Tokyo Translating to 'eastern capital', Tokyo is an ancient city, built on low plains and nearby upland hills. A world wholesale center, merchandise from all over the world is distributed here. Not only a center for distribution, but of manufacturing, finance, and business as well. The buildings range from a few wooden Japanese-style buildings to stone and brick structures of the last century to modern steel and concrete skyscrapers, nothing more than a century old for these buildings weren't built for durability. Interspaced between the manmade buildings and streets are small parks with lovely Japanese gardens. Tokyo's most noticeable feature, of course, are the people, eight million of them, that flood the streets. Contents: Cyclonus Giant Bat Drill Tank Shockwave Amber MacKenzie Battlecruiser Obvious exits: Fly leads to Skies above the Northwest Pacific. Out leads to Honshu. Battlecruiser drops out of the sky, transforming as he touches down in front of the world famous Tokyo Dome. He scowls, scanning the skies. Nothing yet. Whatever sent that beacon, it was able to send it straight to Prime's personal pager. And then he notices the crowds. "Ah, slag." Thousands are lined up at the Tokyo Dome, a massive hand painted banner up over the building: TONIGHT: MUTA THE THIRD VS TIGER MASK 3000. FORGET THE LONG NIGHT AND LIGHTEN YOUR HEARTS WITH REMENDOUS COMBAT! But in Japanese. If things go south...that's a lot of crowd control. Scattershot unfolds into his hulk of a robot mode, lovingly props his pump action acid lined slug artillery rifle against his shoulder, and lights an energon cigar he stole from Kup. Amber MacKenzie is in Tokyo to pick up some vitally important pharmaceuticals for strapped hospitals in the States. Thankfully, the EDC was so good as to provide a shuttle for transportation. She stops dead on hearing the Autobot transmission and growls, "Bloody hell. I can't go anywhere without something going wrong." Catching sight of Scattershot, she quibbles between going back to the shuttle and trying to make herself useful. The sight of countless people in the way decides her. She'll drop off the medicine with the shuttle, then come back, and this she does, but it doesn't help that she still doesn't know what's going on. Drill Tank arrives along with Scattershot, probably having hitched a ride. He rubs the back of his head nervously. "So, do we need riot gear?" he asks Scattershot. The drill tank rears up, then reassembles into the form of Nosecone. ___ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ / __| / _ \ | \| | / __| | | | | | (__ | (_) | | .` | \__ \ |_| |_| \___| \___/ |_|\_| |___/ (_) (_) One hundred and seventy thousand astroseconds ago, an alarm was triggered at an isolated Decepticon facility located within an insignificant comet made of ice and rock. With the vastness of the Empire and the distant location of the base (Decepticon records alternatively refer to it as either a prison, hospital, or research centre), this went largely unnoticed. It wasn't until two days passed until Shockwave sent out a comm: A 'person of interest' has escaped a Decepticon holding facility and is even now trying to defect back to the Autobots. While giving no reasons, a level 1 priority order has been given to either kill or recapture Subject #14860. Here and now, a roadway in the heart of Tokyo explodes as Needlenose's missile narrowly misses its target. The F-16 screams past the new crater, ignoring the cars that have swerved out of the way or crashed. "Come on!" he shouts. "He was just RIGHT HERE! Where's he hiding?" Sunbeam and Zigzag, located on the F-16's right and left wings, scan the ground for any signs of their elusive target. "Maybe he has cloaking powers?" Sunbeam suggests. "Like, maybe we should just give up. There's some fan-frigging-tastic surfing not too far away from here. Pacific ocean, man!" The F-16 blinks inwardly. Whoa, they're in Tokyo already? Subject #14whatever's been keeping the chase alive for a while now. Cyclonus, meanwhile, has been rocketing in from space. He had been occupied with other tasks before he decided that he had to put a priority on finding the escaped prisoner and, if necessary, personally terminate him. Eventually he can see Needlenose flying about, launching missiles down at... something? "Needlenose, have you spotting the prisoner? And if you've spotted him... WHY HAVEN'T YOU TERMINATED HIM!?" he demands in that condescending tone he likes to adopt with his troops. Cyclonus flips forward ninety degrees, limbs folding up and a nosecone snaps down across his head. Wings emerge from his sides and Cyclonus is now in his powerful space fighter mode! Giant Bat is perched atop a low building, keeping a beady optic upon his Binary Bonded partner, Vorath, who is weaving his way through the Tokyo crowds, who is working on the theory that an escaped prisoner won't pay any attention to an organic. ___ ___ _____ ___ _ _ | _ ) / _ \ |_ _| / __| | | | | | _ \ | (_) | | | \__ \ |_| |_| |___/ \___/ |_| |___/ (_) (_) Now, the sound of missile fire is a big hint as to what the problem is, and it's hardly a surprise. Bloody Decepticons are at it again. Amber takes to cover and looks cautiously around to locate the enemy, looking both on the ground and skywards. Her gaze rests briefly on the sheer number of people here, and she flinches at the sight, unconsciously echoing Scattershot's thoughts of crowd control. Somewhat ruthlessly, she narrows her focus to the here and now. She can't save everyone, but she'll save who she can. Rejoining the crowds, she accosts Japanese folk and desperately asks for someone who can speak English. Should she find such a person, she'll tell them about the probable Decepticon attack. Probable, because she hasn't actually seen one yet. And the fireworks start. Scattershot turns towards the explosions, spotting Needlenose first... "The hell?" He frowns, when a familiar voice pipes up. "Sca..." A very Transformery voice. But from where? It ain't Nosecone. Finally, a familiar face shimmers into view: Bottlethrottle. HEY TRANSFORMERS FANS! Bottlethrottle was one of the first mechs leading the charge against the Decepticons when they blitzed the Red Planet! Supposedly killed by Shockwave, he's actually been a guest of their mad science lab being prodded and poked and generally messed with! He stole a cloaking device and got out! -Editorial "Bottlethrottle!" Scattershot steps forward, catching the janked up mech as he falls. "But...you...you were dead!" He turns to Nosecone. "Nosecone, I need you to stick with Throttle. Nothing gets past you. Understood?" Scattershot rifle phases in from subspace. He locks. And loads. Cigar. "Payback time." "You got it," Nosecone says to Scattershot, "Stick with me Bottlethrottle, and we'll clean up." ___ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ / __| / _ \ | \| | / __| | | | | | (__ | (_) | | .` | \__ \ |_| |_| \___| \___/ |_|\_| |___/ (_) (_) Tokyo! So many buildings, lights, and culture here. It reminds Needlenose of Cybertron if Cybertron had Pocky. This place is gorgeous, and Needlenose seriously considers faking an injury so he can bail on the mission and just, y'know, hang out. Maybe raid Takara Tomy and see what the latest prototypes look like. He abandons that idea once Cyclonus yells at him. "Ack! Dude, sorry boss, he has cloaking powers or something. I was going to frag him and everything but he escaped." He looks down, leaning left and right to avoid smashing into any Japanese skyscrapers. "Still, he's got to be around here somewhere still. We haven't chased him that far just to give up now." He tries to sound convincing. Blasting past the low building Mindwipe is hanging out on, Needlenose transmits, "Yo, Mindwipe. See anything?" He isn't aware that the Bots have found Subject #14something something. Far below, Amber will get a real treat as she gets a view of the most beautiful plane in the world streaks just overhead. Seriously, get your camera, woman. Lightspeed has arrived. Giant Bat peers in the direction of the missile-fire with mild interest. Then he turns to follow Vorath again, watching him even when he's out of sight. Reluctantly, the bat turns away, swooping along to attempt to intercept the Autobots' retrieval team, who knows, maybe he can convince someone he put in a good word... Vorath, meanwhile, is wearing a bulky coat, and getting knocked aside by some rude person. "Oh, don't mind me," he mutters. "I'm just waiting for my flight." "You fool," Cyclonus says to Needlenose, though finding someone with a cloaking device would be a trying task for anyone without the right sensory equipment. "The prisoner cannot be allowed to escape! And if we cannot find him, well... there are other ways of preventing his escape. For example, we can LEVEL THIS ENTIRE CITY!" he booms, loud enough for the humans below to hear. "YES, HUMANS! A Cybertronian walks among you, hiding from Lord Galvatron's wrath! If you value your worthless lives, you will locate him for us AT ONCE! Or else..." He fires two light laser blasts at a skyscraper, but even at low power the glass ruptures and sprays out onto the streets below, and screams echo out from below. ___ ___ _____ ___ _ _ | _ ) / _ \ |_ _| / __| | | | | | _ \ | (_) | | | \__ \ |_| |_| |___/ \___/ |_| |___/ (_) (_) Actually, Amber fancies fine cars, not planes. The sight of the disgusting Decepticon passing overhead does confirm her fears that this is a Decepticon attack and not some... natural disaster or Gojira making a visit. Personally, she'd prefer Gojira. So, she truthfully tells her English-speaking "friends" that this is a Decepticon attack, and they begin spreading the word to the rest. A surprising number of Japanese folk speak English, so they understand both her and the loudmouthed Cyclonus. The explosions are a good warning, too, and she guesses she's done here. Apparently she's going to babysit someone for Scattershot. Drifting through the mean streets of Toyko, Lightspeed comes charging into the area, he continues to follow the pinging sound of the homing signal from Scattershot. The glass shards from the skyscraper pelts the very top of his car as he races towards Scattershot, upon reaching the area, he quickly transformers and looks around. "Oh my, Boss...Things seem to be heating up..." Nosecone looks up at the ranting Cyclonus. "I think he needs to be taught a lesson. Don't you?" he says to his fellow Technobots. The humans milling around give the Technobot little space to maneuver but he manages it, the humans parting like the waters of the Red Sea before his feet. Scattershot rolls his optics as Cyclonus starts his speech..."Well, at least we know he's here." It's time to end this. Technobots forming up behind him, everyone manages to strike an awesome pose as Scattershot makes the call! "Technobots! Merge to form..." Crazy awesome Transformer sounds start happening as the brilliant colossus rises up, casting a huge shadow over the Decepticons pursuing Bottlethrottle. "COMPUTRON." Computron finishes the sentence. It is very satisfying. Computron has arrived. Computron strides in while making a series of computations. Scattershot has left. Lightspeed has left. Nosecone has left. ___ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ / __| / _ \ | \| | / __| | | | | | (__ | (_) | | .` | \__ \ |_| |_| \___| \___/ |_|\_| |___/ (_) (_) +ooc Behind Comps "Fine, I didn't wanna talk to you anyway," Needlenose mutters as he races past Mindwipe. The Targetmaster angles upwards, quickly gaining altitude so he doesn't have to weave through all the buildings. That's just a disaster waiting to happen. Needlenose winces as Cyclonus declares they're going to have to blow up the whole city. He would try to talk Cyc out of it, but he bites his tongue. Ain't no way him contracting Cyclonus would end well. The most beautiful plane ever despite what Amber said transforms into robot mode, hovering in mid-air. "Cyc, I don't see any Cybertronians other than us. Face it, there ain't any others." Needlenose tilts his head. Was that familiar shouting he just heard? From behind him, a large orange and red shape forms up. Where'd the sun go? Sloooooooowly, Needlenose turns around, looking up at Computron. "Ah nuts." Still, gotta focus on the mission, and NN things he's spotted the quarry behind that hulking behemoth. Thus, Needlenose does the only thing he can. He flips Computron the bird, transforms back into Gorgeous Mode, and circles wide around Computron, planning to come at Bottlethrottle from the other side. Needlenose says, "I see the little bastard. Transmitting coordinates now." Cyclonus says, "Good. I'll keep Computron preoccupied." Starfighter has trouble locating Bottlethrottle in this city even without a cloaking device, but the massive Computron is no problem for him at all. "Keep, searching, Needlenose, we will be thorough--nevermind. Our jobs just became easier!" The space fighter angles around for the new threat. "So, you Autobots caught onto what's happening. No matter, big or small we will retrieve him, live or dead, it makes no difference!" he boasts as he begins to descend towards the combiner, and opens up on him with his lasers. "Not that you are better equipped to deal with me in THAT form, in any case, Computron!" Combat: Starfighter strikes Computron with his Forward Weapons Array (Laser) attack! Needlenose says, "Hey Mindwipe, think you could mind control five Technobots at once?" Needlenose says, "Or... wait, is it just one mind to control?" Needlenose says, "Or... six? Hrm, tough call." Cyclonus says, "Hm. Some combiners barely have one mind." Mindwipe says, "... This is a Computron question, isn't it?" Giant Bat permits his optics to rest upon Needlenose for a fraction of a second. "Indeed," he says, dryly. then falls silent again, allowing his disdain to seep through Autobot Circuitry, then he takes to the air again, still leaving his binary-bonded companion behind. Vorath, on the other hand, is busy trying to help folks on the Tokyo street-level. He's actually picked sandwiches, cheese and tomato. Needlenose says, "This is getting philosophical. Hey, any Special Teams members here?" Needlenose says, "Oh, yeah, this is about Computron." ___ ___ _____ ___ _ _ | _ ) / _ \ |_ _| / __| | | | | | _ \ | (_) | | | \__ \ |_| |_| |___/ \___/ |_| |___/ (_) (_) Amber MacKenzie comes around a corner and sees both the huge figure of Computron, and the comparatively small, insignificant Decepticon known to her as Needlenose. Or as a gullible idiot; both apply equally well. She's supposed to stand off a Transformer? Uhhhhhhh... Despite her misgivings, she takes to cover and slinks closer, circling around the combiner and keeping a wary eye on Needlenose. Behind Computron is a fallen Autobot she's never seen before. Oh, bugger. Here comes Loudmouth again. Using the Decepticon commander's noisy arrival as a distraction, she makes it to cover near Bottlewhatever. Bloody hell, he looks awful. "Heya, guy," she murmurs softly. "Sorry to meet you under these circumstances. My name is Amber MacKenzie, sort of with the EDC." emit test Mindwipe says, "I shall consider the appropriate logical response. It aids... encouragement." The wrecked Bottlethrottle sort of rolls his head towards Amber, optics dimming a bit. He opens his mouth, but mostly just makes mechanical whirring sounds. Computron carefully analyzes the battlefield, making trillions of calculations, all of the permutations of battle go across his processor as he slowly makes his decision. He mentally fights the battle 1,234,123 times. All of this occurs with the span of a few seconds. An eternity for Computron. "Data analyzed: Chance of victory, 83.12324." A small piece of armor is chipped off from Cyclonus' laser attack. "Conclusion: Begin attack, rescue Bottlethrottle." He takes two steps before lifting his arm and fires a shot at Cyclonus. Combat: Computron misses Starfighter with his Opening Gambit! (Laser) attack! ___ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ / __| / _ \ | \| | / __| | | | | | (__ | (_) | | .` | \__ \ |_| |_| \___| \___/ |_|\_| |___/ (_) (_) Needlenose says, "The hell does that mean?" F-16XL Fighting Falcon transforms into robot mode and touches down, sprinting the rest of the way. There's no illusion about where he's heading--straight for Bottlethrottle and Amber MacKenzie. He's really, /really/ happy that Cyclonus took the 'distract Computron' job. Skidding to a halt amongst the panicked and fleeing Tokyo citizens, Needlenose towers over Amber. "Well well! Looks like we have our quarry. The... the Transformer, I mean. Subject number something. Not you, Ms. MacKenzie. I dunno why /you're/ here." Yes, he recognizes the Autobots' ally. More Than Meets The Eye! F-16XL Jet Fighter transforms into robot mode! Starfighter simply rotates ninety degrees to one side and slips in between several buildings, giving himself cover. Computron's shot just veers off into space, since naturally he calculated the best shot with which to 1) possibly injure Cyclonus, and 2) not cause collateral damage if he missed. "I would not be too sure, Computron! Many a large foe can be brought down by one smaller, faster, and more clever." He thinks about that statement. Did he just accidentally describe the human race? Uh. Shut up. The roar of Cyclonus's engines becomes somewhat faint, then suddenly much, much louder, and perhaps before Computron even realizes it Cyclonus is bearing down on Computron's large head with his nosecone! "Let's see if that impressive brain of yours is well-protected!" Combat: Starfighter strikes Computron with his Ramming Speed attack! -2 Giant Bat dips and weaves, then swoops straight in front of the humans. He glowers, scowling at everyone who approaches, because Vorath is actaing all 'friendly-like.' His Bat aspect, on the other hand, throws himself back towards the Autobot Gestalt, focusing his optics, "You have business elsewhere!" He tries to claim with a hypnotic gaze. ___ ___ _____ ___ _ _ | _ ) / _ \ |_ _| / __| | | | | | _ \ | (_) | | | \__ \ |_| |_| |___/ \___/ |_| |___/ (_) (_) "Neeeeedlenose!" Amber coos happily without losing a beat. "What a wonderful surprise! I was just wondering a minute ago if I could find someone knowledgeable about what was going on to interview, and here you are! Please make yourself comfortable and tell me what's up. I'm sure that since *you're* here, it has to be something very important." She brings out her camcorder and starts it up, casually seating herself on the hapless but handy Bottlethrottle like an idiot hero. So much for calculated risks, MacKenzie. "You don't mind if I record this, do you?" Combat: Giant Bat strikes Computron with his Sub-Optic Radiation attack! Computron is slammed into by Cyclonus, which doesn't hurt much, but then as he makes his way over to Bottlethrottle and Amber, Mindwipe's crazy glowing optics meet his and his head starts to swim. "Datum: Attack causes dizziness, loss of focus. Probability of missing target: High. Solution: Walk it off." He tries to wait out the strange effect. Scattershot is not connected. Combat: Computron takes extra time to steady himself. Pass ___ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ / __| / _ \ | \| | / __| | | | | | (__ | (_) | | .` | \__ \ |_| |_| \___| \___/ |_|\_| |___/ (_) (_) Cyclonus says, "Good work, Mindwipe! Now, Needlenose, it's up to you to retrieve the prisoner!" Cyclonus realizes what he said. "Ugh..." Needlenose kneels in order to pick up BottleThrottle, but then stops when Amber sucks up to him like whoa. He pauses, standing up again. From his left holster, Zigzag transforms from gun mode to Nebulon mode, landing on the ground between Needlenose and Amber. "Come on, Needlenose, ignore her!" he protests, but Needlenose ignores him. "No no, it's cool. Go ahead and record this. So, like what did you want to ask me, Amber? I thought you had forgotten all about our interview plans." Needlenose hears someone talking on the radio but assumes it isn't as important as this. Scorn snickers a little Starfighter , hoping to the Pit Needlenose is making an effort at competency, presses his assault on Computron. "What's the matter, Computron?" Cyclonus rumbles as he transforms and lands on one of the combiner's shoulders. "Feeling woozy, are we? Can't focus or concentrate? Here, perhaps a little brain surgery will aid you..." And naturally, he slowly draws his blade forth, presses the tip of it to Computron's temple (or where it would be on a human) and begins to poke the blade into his armor. The space fighter's nosecone snaps back as its body flips upright. Arms and legs unfold from the wings and fuselage respectively, and a dour face emerges from the body, forming the robot mode of Cyclonus! Combat: Cyclonus strikes Computron with his Diamond-Boron Carbide Sword attack! -2 Giant Bat lands upon Computron's shoulder, and whispers into the gestalts audio receptors... "There is no benefit to seizing Bottlethrottle. He has passed along all the information he knows. Let him go." Mindwipe speaks with dulcet tones as he attempts to keep Computron under control. ___ ___ _____ ___ _ _ | _ ) / _ \ |_ _| / __| | | | | | _ \ | (_) | | | \__ \ |_| |_| |___/ \___/ |_| |___/ (_) (_) Amber MacKenzie sighs and looks down, her normally erect posture drooping with disappointment. "I got pinned down on Mars because everyone was paranoid about being spotted by you guys, and then I was sent back to Earth because I was so useless... I'm so sorry I missed that interview. I never thought I'd have the chance again, but it seems like Fate is throwing us together again. Hello, sir," she asides to Zigzag. Doesn't hurt to be polite, even if the guy is on to her. "So, how have you been? It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm sure you've been very busy doing the Empire's most important work." She *does* take the precaution of sliding over a bit so that she's in the shadow of an overhanging balcony, which is more important than she thought, considering that Cyclonus and Batman are playing parrot. Computron continues to stomp towards Amber and Bottlethrottle as the Decepticon continue their assault on the giant. "Decepticon's assault on Logic Core unexpected, Solution: Remove the annoyance." He raises his massive arm, and places his pointer finger against his thumb as he prepares to flick Mindwipe off his shoulder. "Calculation Complete." He then flicks his finger at Mindwipe! ___ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ / __| / _ \ | \| | / __| | | | | | (__ | (_) | | .` | \__ \ |_| |_| \___| \___/ |_|\_| |___/ (_) (_) Combat: Computron's Flicking off the Devil! attack on Giant Bat goes wild! Combat: Computron misses himself with his Flicking off the Devil! (Punch) attack! Needlenose aws at Amber's sob story, even kneeling down to give her a little pat on the head. Zigzag arghs and steps aside, rolling his eyes. "So stupid," he mutters in response to Amber's politeness. Taking a step over to Bottlethrottle, Needlenose responds, "Doing good. The Empire is really humming along. The Long Night? The blitz of your planet? The destruction of all your technological infrastructure? That was totes aces." He stoops down to grab Bottlethrottle and hoist him up onto his shoulder in a fireman's carry. He oofs at the sudden weight increase. Whatever research the eggheads are doing on him, it sure ain't a diet supplement. "All my work is important. Like right now I'm getting this here prisoner back home. He made a little escape attempt. Didn'tcha?" he asks the unconscious and horribly battered Bottlethrottle. "Didn'tcha? Yeah, you did! Yes you did!" he coos. Melody Reynolds has arrived. Cyclonus sees that Computron is moving again, and hops off of him before he's struck--nope, he was aiming for Mindwipe. Ooh, he almost flicked his own nose off. Still, good to get out of there. Can't take too many chances with something as large and dangerous as Computron. "Hm, it appears we must turn to more conventional means of besting this foe. With me, Mindwipe! FOR GALVATRON!" he cries, hovering back away from the combiner as he fires oxidizing lasers into his chest. Combat: Cyclonus misses Computron with his Oxidizing Laser attack! -1 Cyclonus says, "Needlenose? I... trust you have the escapee well in hand?" Cyclonus says, "...Needlenose? Oh, for--" Giant Bat darts away from Computron as the Gestalt attempts to brush him off ihs shoulder. Landing deftly upon Computron's chest, he extends a hand, then allows himself to contemplate reality. There are shudders, and twists, and flashes of lights. And sound that feels like happiness, and waves that tower over ants. Needlenose says, "What? I have him, I have him. How're you guys doing?" The bat unfolds into a body, and Vorath folds up into the head of Mindwipe. Combat: Mindwipe strikes Computron with his Dark Science attack! ___ ___ _____ ___ _ _ | _ ) / _ \ |_ _| / __| | | | | | _ \ | (_) | | | \__ \ |_| |_| |___/ \___/ |_| |___/ (_) (_) Amber MacKenzie has to catch herself from falling, as she was actually sitting on poor Bottlethrottle at the time. She snags onto a flagpole with both hands and slides down, thankful that it's made of metal and not splintery wood. With the immediate emergency out of the way, she looks up at Needlenose and the recaptured prisoner... There's nothing she can do physically, but she tries desperately with words. "Right... it was a great news story, followed by billions," she answers, almost losing track of her backstory. "So, I guess he's a criminal... What crimes did he commit, and where did he escape from? I know it's cowardly, but I want to stay far away from wherever he came from." She shivers. "Just in case someone else escapes." Cyclonus says, "Hm. Undamaged, but it's unlikely we will be able to bring Computron down." Cyclonus says, "So *hurry.*" Needlenose says, "On it, chief." When transformers fight, it's a clash of titans- and when GESTALTS are involved, well...it's certainly easy to lose track of a tiny human in the mix...even if the human in question is wearing a half-ton of power armor. Still, Lt. Melody Reynolds is on the scene! She skids around a corner, a handful of hapless bystanders on her heels. "Quick, get in the Subway!" she says- it's not in Japanese, but the pointing gets the gist of it across. She lets out a relieved breath as the last of them scurry down to safety, and then moves towards the battle proper, hoisting her laser rifle carefully- And that's when she sees Amber interviewing Needlenose. "Ooookay, wasn't expecting that." Computron manages to dodge Cyclonus' next attack, but having a bat on his chest makes dodging Mindwipe's attack nearly impossible. "Datum. Bat staring at me perched on my chest. Datum: He blinded me with SCIENCE. Solution: Get the flyswatter! He suddenly feels a little less courageous, but since he's got plenty and to spare, he feels confident he can hit his target. "HAVE YOU HAD YOUR CYBER-RABIES SHOTS?!" ___ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ / __| / _ \ | \| | / __| | | | | | (__ | (_) | | .` | \__ \ |_| |_| \___| \___/ |_|\_| |___/ (_) (_) Combat: Computron misses Mindwipe with his FIGHT SCIENCE WITH MORE SCIENCE! attack! Cyclonus stares at Computron in disbelief as his shot goes astray. "*How* did I miss?" he asks aloud. If Galvatron was here he's fairly certain he'd get smacked for failing to make that shot. And so, he fires upon the Combiner again, almost experimentally. Maybe his sights are off or something. And yes, he's aware that Mindwipe is still on or near Computron as he fires. No, he doesn't care. Combat: Cyclonus strikes Computron with his Forward Weapons Array (Laser) attack! Needlenose wasn't worried about Amber. He's seen Autobots do this kind of thing to humans all the time and they're always fine. "Crimes?" he asks, having clearly never thought about it. "Uh..." he clearly isn't sure. "Maybe some Decepticon that failed in his mission? Or... I dunno, might have been one of those Crystal City dissenters. 'Freedom to protest'." Needlenose throws his head back, "Ha ha ha ha! Seriously, it was really funny. Maybe you had to be there for it, though." Needlenose glances to his left, where Bottlethrottle is draped over his shoulder. "Oh, wait, no, I see it. Right here." He leans over so Amber can get a closer look. There's a faded, scratched out Autobot insignia on Bottlethrottle's chest. "POW." Bottlethrottle meanwhile stirs, though it's possible he doesn't know where he is. As for Melody, Needlenose doesn't notice her just yet. Mindwipe makes like a bat, meaning he's attempting to eavesdrop upon the Military, while not being actually present to witness the capture of... someone. "You know what? Fire at will." Vorath, meanwhile, watches from the sidelines. ___ ___ _____ ___ _ _ | _ ) / _ \ |_ _| / __| | | | | | _ \ | (_) | | | \__ \ |_| |_| |___/ \___/ |_| |___/ (_) (_) "I see," Amber says, mentally boggling at Needlenose's ego. Bloody hell, she doubts even Cyclonus can match him, and that's saying a lot. "Where do I need to stay away from, so he doesn't bother us again?" If she can't save the guy, maybe she can find out where they're keeping him, but can Needlenose be *that* stupid? "I'd also like to continue our interview, though it's terribly disappointing that we're getting interrupted again. The public deserves to know about you." Melody taps the side of her helmet, broadcasting over shortband radio. <> she says- but then takes a few steps out into the open, rifle held at her shoulder and leveled at Needlenose! Of course, how seriously the 'con may take the likes of her may be up for debate. "Hate to interrupt, though." She says aloud, looking down her sights at Needlenose. "But I'm going to give you one chance to put that Autobot down and leave quietly." Maybe it's that he's crazy smart, but sometimes people forget that Computron is two fifths Scattershot and Strafe. The two of them have more guns than the rest of the Autobots combined, including the ones that died from getting shot once in 2005. Multiple turrets whir to life on the combiner, catching Mindwipe and Cyclonus in multiple crosshairs... "DECEPTICONS PREPARE FOR ENERGY DAMAGE: 85% PROBABILITY OF PAIN." As the turrets open fire, at least one part of Computron starts to realize he hasn't checked in on Bottlethrottle and Amber and that he hasn't accounted for one Decepticon. Probably Lightspeed. He's secretly smartest. Combat: Computron misses Mindwipe with his Tons of guns! (Full-Auto) Area attack! Combat: Computron misses Cyclonus with his Tons of guns! (Full-Auto) Area attack! ___ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ / __| / _ \ | \| | / __| | | | | | (__ | (_) | | .` | \__ \ |_| |_| \___| \___/ |_|\_| |___/ (_) (_) "Dunno," Needlenose quickly replies. "And even if I did know, I ain't no rat. Zigzag, to me." The Nebulon transforms back into light discharger rifle and lands in Needlenose's left hand. Then, with Bottlethrottle on his shoulder, he steps away from Amber. "The public *does* deserve to know about me. Call me and we'll discuss it." Before he can take off, though, he's confronted by a rifle wielding soldier. Needlenose frowns. With no hesitation, he swings up Zigzag and cuts loose with a jagged bolt of electricity. "Afraid I can't give you the same courtesy," he snaps. Melody will have more than enough time to also fire on him, but Needlenose is gambling that she won't want to risk hurting his prisoner. Combat: Needlenose misses Battlesuit with his Electrostatic Overloader Rifle attack! Cyclonus is, like Galvatron, a very agile opponent even in spite of his size, so evading the multiple laser blasts is a simple matter of shifting his body through the air quickly and randomly. "Amusing, Computron. Amusing but pathetic. You had a better chance separated than combined. Alas, I fear that will be the height of the entertainment you provide, so now it behooves me to bring this game to its conclusion...." With that, he transforms, passes over Computron, and drops a veritable hail of incendiary bombs upon him! Can Computron withstand the damage? And how much collateral damage will be done to Tokyo in the process? Cyclonus flips forward ninety degrees, limbs folding up and a nosecone snaps down across his head. Wings emerge from his sides and Cyclonus is now in his powerful space fighter mode! Combat: Starfighter sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Starfighter strikes Computron with his Incendiary Bombs attack! Mindwipe ducks his head into his shoulders and drops sharply, plummeting earthwards before he dips below the energy blast. With a whine of his engines, and the smell of burning rubber, Mindwipe leaps into the air again, kindly sharing all the signals he's recieved. ___ ___ _____ ___ _ _ | _ ) / _ \ |_ _| / __| | | | | | _ \ | (_) | | | \__ \ |_| |_| |___/ \___/ |_| |___/ (_) (_) Amber MacKenzie breathes a sigh of relief that poor Bottlethrottle will have a real defender now and eagerly gets out of the way, but she still takes precautions to move stealthily and hopefully out of sight of Cyclonus, who might actually recognize her. She's happy that she doesn't have to shoot Needlenose after all, though she was going to blame it on Mindwipe's mental control and foment some paranoia in the Decepticon ranks. Moving further away, she picks a nice, sheltered vantage point and starts recording again. She may learn something from this... Well, she learns that a sheltered vantage point was a better idea than she expected, considering that that jerk Cyclonus is raining bombs on Tokyo. She'd shake a fist at him, but she's not that stupid. As Needlenose opens up, Melody bounds out of the way! She throws herself into a shoulder roll, narrowly avoiding the onslaught of cybertonian firepower. "Miss MacKenzie, get clear!" she says, shouldering her rifle. It's true, Melody doesn't want to hurt Needlenose's hapless, limp prisoner. But that's what stun grenades are for. She flicks one switch near the trigger, and snaps off a quick shot from her underslung grenade launcher! *FOOMP!* Combat: Battlesuit sets her defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Battlesuit strikes Needlenose with her Stun Grenade attack! Combat: You took 6 damage. Combat: Needlenose has been temporarily incapacitated. Computron staggers back from the force of Cyclonus' attack. Regaining his balance, he calculates all the ways he can leap at Cyclonus without breaking buildings and does exactly that: LEAPS at the rabbit earred turd herder with a 90% chance of shock and awe! "86% CHANCE OF DIGGING IT: OOOH YEAH!" Computron shouts, bringing his fists into a massive Double Axe Handle to bring down on Cyclonus! Combat: Computron sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Computron misses Starfighter with his Feel the madness! attack! Cyclonus says, "Er... Computron is becoming... unstable. Needlenose? What's your status?" Needlenose says, "zzzzzzzzzz" ___ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ / __| / _ \ | \| | / __| | | | | | (__ | (_) | | .` | \__ \ |_| |_| \___| \___/ |_|\_| |___/ (_) (_) Needlenose scowls as Melody rolls away from Zigzag's electro-shot. Blasted humans! Why must they be so cool AND fast?! It's just not fair. The grenade lands near him, and Needlenose instinctively shifts Bottlethrottle aroudn to absorb most of the detonation. Unfortunately that doesn't help against a stun, and Needlenose falls to the ground in a crumpled heap, mouth agape as he starts to drool on himself. Bottlethrottle lands on top of him, groaning and slowly trying to crawl off. The Autobot has really been through hell for the past couple months, and he looks up at Melody with fierce, determined optics. He recognizes freedom when he sees it. Cyclonus says, "By the Pit, how could this have gone so wrong!?" Darkwing says, "It is becuase you tried. When ever you try the universe will just doom you to failure, but of course no one ever accepts this as the truth and foolishly continue on regardless." Misfire says, "Wait, so I need to stop trying, then I can hit the bullseye?" Starfighter is... *alarmed* when he notices the shadow descending upon him. "What--" he blurts out before abruptly accelerating. He almost plows right into a building, but he's able to go around it, just barely scraping a corner and rattling the windows with his passing. "Blast. It is time to deal with this problem myself! MINDWIPE! You must hold off Computron! No excuses!" he declares pitilessly as he changes course. Soon, the large form of Cyclonus slams down next to Needlenose's body, sneering down at him. "Ugh... you incompetent..." And he notices a few other things. Like Melody, who he scowls at. And Bottlethrottle. "Bah, humans," he snorts. "Not worth the effort." He stoops over to reach for Bottlethrottle's throat. "And now, to put you back where you belong, Autobot..." The space fighter's nosecone snaps back as its body flips upright. Arms and legs unfold from the wings and fuselage respectively, and a dour face emerges from the body, forming the robot mode of Cyclonus! Combat: Cyclonus takes extra time to steady himself. Pass Cyclonus sighs. "And it's been said that I'm grim." "Move!" Melody barks to either Amber or Bottlethrottle- maybe both! She's already running forward, bounding over wreckage with acrobatic ease, aided by the shocks in her battlesuit. "Miss Mackenzie, see if you can get that giant Autobot on the line- he's the only one who's strong enough to move that wounded prisoner! I'll keep the decepticons busy!" She skids to a halt as Cyclonus grabs for Bottlethrottle- and, without breaking stride, she whips her gun up and fires off a steady burst of fire at the mighty Cyclonus! *BRAAAAAAAP!* Mindwipe says, "... what limits must we subscribe to? Oh, hold off Computron. Hell's belle's and buckets of /mmmm/ blood!. As the bat swoops to perch amongst the evacuating terrans, his Nebulan finds himself aiding the emeregency services with his biogenetic adaptations. Still, his bat aspect closes in upon the gestalt in a burst of desperation." Mindwipe folds up into a giant bat, while his head unfolds into the scientist, Vorath. ___ ___ _____ ___ _ _ | _ ) / _ \ |_ _| / __| | | | | | _ \ | (_) | | | \__ \ |_| |_| |___/ \___/ |_| |___/ (_) (_) Combat: Battlesuit strikes Cyclonus with her Battle Rifle attack! Giant Bat ... what limits must we subscribe to? Oh, hold off Computron. Hell's belle's and buckets of /mmmm/ blood!. As the bat swoops to perch amongst the evacuating terrans, his Nebulan finds himself aiding the emeregency services with his biogenetic adaptations. Still, his bat aspect closes in upon the gestalt in a burst of desperation. Amber MacKenzie isn't adverse to shooting from her ambush point, especially for Cyclonus, but Melody's shouted order countermands her own intentions. She's confused, though. 1) Computron is okay as far as she can tell, other than pouncing on Cyclonus and missing him, and 2) she can't pick him up anyway. Oh well, battles are supposed to be confusing Maybe she'll have to go back to Plan A after all and shoot someone. Needlenose is still out, so that leaves one of her least favorite Decepticons. She withdraws deeper into the rubble caused by the bombs earlier and stalks towards a better vantage point. Under no illusions, she's hoping for a distraction not any real damage on the jerk. Combat: Amber MacKenzie slips into the shadows and out of sight... Combat: Amber MacKenzie appears from the shadows... Combat: Sneak Attack!! Combat: Amber MacKenzie misses Cyclonus with her Pistol attack! Combat: Giant Bat strikes Computron with his Sub-Optic Radiation attack! Computron gets the glowy bat eyes staring at him again. He finds his mind clouding as his computational speed slows noticeably. "Datum. Bat in close proximity again. Datum. Dizziness returning. Solution: GETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFF! Combat: Computron's Going to wash that bat right outta my hair... attack on Giant Bat goes wild! Combat: Computron misses himself with his Going to wash that bat right outta my hair... attack! -5 ___ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ / __| / _ \ | \| | / __| | | | | | (__ | (_) | | .` | \__ \ |_| |_| \___| \___/ |_|\_| |___/ (_) (_) Needlenose stares back at Cyclonus with dead optics. His systems are still in full reboot mode thanks to that grenade. Finally, though, he abruptly sits upright. "Ding! Reboot complete!" Needlenose looks left, Needlenose looks right. He sees Cyclonus is here with him, grabbing Bottlethrottle. "Oh, hey, looks like my job here is done." But then Cyclonus gets blasted by Melody. "Cheesesus, lady, what's your /problem/?! Cyc, you deal with Subject Something-or-other and I'll take care of Samus here!" Needlenose jumps to his feet and sprints towards the gal, planning to smash her in the head with a well placed fist. Lets see her interfere with Cyclonus while someone's beating the crud out of her! Combat: You can't change your defense level while stunned. Combat: Needlenose takes a moment to shake off the effects of the last attack. Combat: Needlenose sets his defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Needlenose misses Battlesuit with his Smash attack! Cyclonus is about to seize the little bugger when a spray of bullets impacts across his chest. "Anngh--" His optics light up with fury when he sees the guilty party. "You! You... you DARE strike me!" And suddenly all thought of capturing Bottlethrottle is abandoned as Cyclonus turns his attention to avenging the slight to his dignity, rising up and stalking implacably towards Melody. "You? A mere human in a tin can? Well, then, tell me--do you really think that tin can will protect you?" And then Needlenose jumps in and tries to punch her. Well, then, nevermind. "Bah, fine, deal with her, Needlenose. Where was I? Ah, yes..." He stalks towards Bottlethrottle, almost smiling. Nothing can stop him from grabbing the prisoner this time! Nothing! "We were dealing with YOU," he says as he lifts the gumby bot up. Combat: Cyclonus takes extra time to steady himself. Pass Giant Bat mindwipe scrutinises the officers around him as he considers his options. Vorath gestures towards the bat, who gloweringly fixes his attention upon Bottlethrottle. "Charmed to meet you, my dear." ___ ___ _____ ___ _ _ | _ ) / _ \ |_ _| / __| | | | | | _ \ | (_) | | | \__ \ |_| |_| |___/ \___/ |_| |___/ (_) (_) Battlesuit keeps moving! It's the only way to stay alive in situations like this! As Needlenose lunges at her, Melody throw herself into a baseball-worthy slide, slipping harmlessly between Needlenose's legs! With her left hand, Melody pushes off the ground, springing back to her feet! She glances briefly after Computron, and winces as the massive gestalt seems to be...spazzy. "That bat must have some kind of hypno ray. Damn!" But, that problem will have to wait! As Cyclonus grabs for the prisoner again, Melody narrows her eyes. "Hey! Ugly!" she barks out, "I'm not done with you yet! Or are you -scared- of a mere -human?-" Yes, taunting Cyclonus is a bad idea. Even still, this doesn't stop Melody from locking down her shoulder mounted rocket launcher and firing one off at Cyclonus' back! *FWOOSH!* Combat: Battlesuit strikes Cyclonus with her High Impact Rocket attack! Computron curls up his mouth in a look of disgust. "Datum: Attacks ineffective. Conclusion: Targeting Computer damaged." He runs a quick internal scan. "Adjustment complete. Change of successful hit now at 12.34556." He raises his Acid-Pellet Gun and takes aim at Cyclonus. He smoothly pulls the trigger as the spray flies towards Cyclonus! Combat: Computron misses Cyclonus with his Automatic Acid-Pellet Gun attack! -2 *Now* Amber darts towards Computron, knowing that Cyclonus may have sighted her when she fired. While she isn't sneaking this time, she still tries to keep to cover in case the jerk shoots at her, but it's not Cyclonus that nearly hits her. It's a clumsy, batridden Computron flailing around. She dodges out of the way easily enough, but it's hard to help a guy like that. Backing away, she tries to get a bead on the Bat, but he's gone over to Bottlethrottle now. And now Computron is shooting at Cyclonus... Maybe there's something she can do after all. ___ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ / __| / _ \ | \| | / __| | | | | | (__ | (_) | | .` | \__ \ |_| |_| \___| \___/ |_|\_| |___/ (_) (_) Cyclonus is suddenly fired upon by seemingly everyone at once! He takes a rocket to the back, almost losing his grip on Bottlethrottle, and it's fortunate he doesn't because he notices that shadow looming over him again, followed by weapons fire. Thinking quickly, Cyclonus spins around, holding Bottlethrottle in front of himself, and the poor Autobot is riddled with acid rounds. Noticing the acid creeping towards his fingers, he draws in a sharp breath, releasing him. He ponders something briefly, then... "Heh. Well, there is *no* possibility he could survive that, even if Ratchet were still alive to tend him. We have achieved our goal, Decepticons. Or close enough to it. DECEPTICONS, WITHDRAW BACK TO OUR BASE!" he booms, and he's up and soaring away in a matter of seconds. Needlenose grunts and tries to close his legs in time, but Melody's already through. He closes his optics and gets a pained look on his face for having fallen for that trick. He whirls around, furious at Melody. "You know what? Yeah, you ARE done with him." Needlenose whips out both Sunbeam and Zigzag, taking a half-second to pose awesomely with them while he aims. "Say hello to my little friends." From his right gun comes a bright flash of light. From the left a searing lightning bolt. Hit or miss, it's just a distraction before Needlenose can lift up into the sky, transforming back into F-16 mode. He strafes the area even as he makes good on his exit. From where poor, long suffering Bottlethrottle laid during most of the battle, there rests a small grey object no larger than a tennis ball. Cyclonus flips forward ninety degrees, limbs folding up and a nosecone snaps down across his head. Wings emerge from his sides and Cyclonus is now in his powerful space fighter mode! Combat: Starfighter begins retreating, outrunning all pursuit. Starfighter adds in parting, "You humans are fools to challenge one forged by Unicron! I wield power beyond what your small minds can conceive of! Do you truly not understand how outclassed you are?" Robots in Disguise! Needlenose transforms into F-16XL Jet Fighter mode! Combat: F-16XL Fighting Falcon begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Starfighter You receive a radio message from Amber MacKenzie: I'm sorry, but I can't say I like the insolent way that Cyclonus has spoken to you. He should be more respectful. Good luck! You send a radio message to Amber MacKenzie: Aw he's a pussy cat. It's just his way of being affectionate. Giant Bat lets one arm collapse, as he weight is dissolved by more fortunate, repair mechs. However, it turns out that each individual being is treated as an individual limb might be. ___ ___ _____ ___ _ _ | _ ) / _ \ |_ _| / __| | | | | | _ \ | (_) | | | \__ \ |_| |_| |___/ \___/ |_| |___/ (_) (_) Behind her faceplate, Melody's eyes go wide- not due to her rocket striking home, but by the fact she's driven the Decepticons off! Bottlethrottle's demise is observed as well, though Melody does her best to contain her emotions! So much that she barely notices Needlenose's little distraction. Ah well. Slowly, Melody lowers her rifle, and then heads over towards where she saw Amber last. "Miss MacKenzie? Are you alright?" Amber MacKenzie slowly makes her way back the way she came, looking sadly at Bottlethrottle. "If that's acid, we need a base to counter it, if there's even any time left for him." As she gets closer, the Autobot looks worse and worse. "I'm fine, ma'am," she answers, not looking at Melody. Amber MacKenzie comes close enough to Bottlethrottle to hear a soft hum. She blinks and then goes into action. "Hey! I think he's still alive. Come on, people, base solution! Now!" Addressing Tokyo at large and hoping there are people still hiding nearby that speak English and can pass the message on, she shouts, "We need a base solution in large quantities! Can you help?" Bottlethrottle's optics flicker on and off. His mouth opens and he slowly turns his head towards where he hears a human female shouting. He travelled half the galaxy to get to Earth, evading the Decepticon patrols he could and fighting the ones he couldn't. What's a little acid now? "Um." Where Melody was cool and collected when people were shooting at her? A severely wounded Autobot is...something else. She clamps her rifle to its place on her back and steps closer, biting at her lower lip. "I...I don't have any repair equipment with me. But...a base...hm. Maybe if we got some cleaning solution? Bleach is a base, isn't it?" Amber MacKenzie whirls to stare at Melody. "Right! A swimming pool! Find us a big swimming pool. Hey, Computron! Will immersing him in water hurt him, damaged as he is?" She suspects so, which will complicate things a whole lot, but for all she knows, Transformers are waterproofed inside and out. Bottlethrottle moves his arm, reaching out to Amber in thanks. He isn't entirely clear where he is or who's trying to help him, but it's clear he's going to be safe now. Computron watches the Decepticons flee. "Datum: Decepticons away. Datum: There are injured. Solution: Demerge and help!" Combat: Computron dissolves into its component Technobots. Nosecone has arrived. Lightspeed has arrived. Computron has left. "Swimming pool. Right!" Melody glances around, taking in the sights of downtown Tokyo- added to the fact she can't read Japanese! Of course, in her poking about, she happens across the tennis-ball sphere Bottlethrottle had dropped! "...What's this?" she asks, reaching down to poke at it. Lightspeed rushes over towards Amber and the hapless Autobot whose armor is being chewed up by acid. "Oh dear...oh dear..." He pulls out a datapad and beings to run through a ton of data. "Water, won't help...but a Base may work..." He continues to type on the pad as he works. Amber MacKenzie mentions tersely, "Swimming pools have bleach in them." "Too bad I'm not a medic," Nosecone says, "Speaking of which, I think I need one. We totally tanked today." Combat: Your COMBAT flag has been cleared. Amber MacKenzie closes her eyes and thinks furiously. "Grab some canvas from canopies and the like, dip that in the swimming pool, and lay the canvas on Bottlethrottle. That might hold him for the short term. Don't we have shuttles in this area? Send for one of them, and we can evac back to Autobot City." Combat: Giant Bat begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Starfighter and F-16XL Fighting Falcon And so it was done. Lightspeed takes off on a shuttle bound for Landing Pad . Lightspeed has left. Amber MacKenzie takes off on a shuttle bound for Landing Pad . Amber MacKenzie has left. ***** *** * * * * * * *** *** **** * * *** * * * * *** * * *** *** ** * * ** * ** * *** *** *** * * *** *** * * * * *** **** * * *** * * * * *